George Will: McGovern Wanted Walter Cronkite As His Veep In 1972

In the current Newsweek (the February 25 issue), columnist George Will wrote about George McGovern and the current delegate selection rules on the Democratic side. But what stuck out was Will's subhead on McGovern: "He thinks he could have won in 1972 with a running mate called 'the most trusted man in America' -- Walter Cronkite." Will reported:

McGovern thinks he could have won with a running mate then called "the most trusted man in America"—Walter Cronkite. Before choosing Eagleton, McGovern considered asking Cronkite, who recently indicated he would have accepted.

Usually, network anchormen are offered more obscure posts than the vice presidency. Clinton asked Tom Brokaw if he wanted to run the national parks. NBC anchor John Chancellor worked for Lyndon Johnson as the director of Voice of America -- before he became an anchorman. Cronkite, who in 1972 was about halfway through his time at the top of the CBS Evening News, regrets stepping aside for Dan Rather in 1981. (Especially since Rather stayed way past Cronkite's retirement age of 65.)

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